Got another chapter up for you guys out there, and I hope you like it. I also want to say thanks to everyone who STILL comments on my chapters, and that it makes me happy to know that you take the time to do this for me. Also a shout out to jacobshermansd-thanks for seeing that I do put a lot of time and effort into these chapters for you guys. Also wanted to welcome kataangloverforever to the group, and I hope you continue to read and review them.

Thank you to all of my fans who have been with me from the start, YOU know who you are out there! Also, I'm sorry for not spelling air bender into one word. I just realized I was doing that, and it was DEFINITELY not right at all. So, that was obvioulsy my bad, but I believe I fixed it all in this chapter. Sorry for my grammar and spelling ahead of time.

I don't own Avatar. Back to the story!

Katara and the gang had at long last reached the Eastern Air Temple. It took them a while to figure a way up to the temple, but it was no longer necessary when Appa and Momo flew down towards them. Katara's heart leapt out of her throat, as she realized that they had miraculously caught up with Aang. As soon as the bison and lemur landed, the gang was all smothered with kisses from both of their lost and excited friends. It took had taken them two weeks, but they seemed to have at long last had some good luck once again.

They all jumped onto Appa, who for some reason didn't have a saddle, and flew up to the sky high temple. Momo was on Katara's shoulder, with his tail curled around her neck, as she continued to pet the happy lemur. Tao was hanging onto dear life as the Bison flew into the wind, while carrying his wooden wheelchair in its clutches. When they finally reached it, they jumped off and began a search party. After many hours of searching high and low, nothing was found but dust, weeds, and vines that grew everywhere.

"This doesn't make any sense" said Sokka as he scratched his head, and walking back towards the group, "I would have figured that he would be here?"

"There's no way for he would just leave Appa and Momo here, especially since he was upset about losing Appa to the Sand Benders?" said Suki questionably.

Katara didn't know what to say at the time. All of her hope was shattered at the realization that Aang wasn't here. Her stomach and chest tightened up on her, and she felt like vomiting. The Waterbender knew it was a long shot at finding him, but when she saw the animals, she just knew that he would be here. Momo licked her face again, as if trying to comfort her in some way, and it did help, but only for a second.

They all pondered on the one question, why? It didn't make any sense at all, for Aang to leave them here. And who knows how long that they have been here in the first place. There were no trails, no starts of an old fire, or even a hint that they could be close by.

"Maybe he truly doesn't want to be found." Toph said, breaking the silence in the group.

Tao nodded, "I was just thinking the same thing." he said, as he played with his thumbs in sadness.

The Waterbender didn't want to hear those words, even though she knew they were true. "Well, we can't give up. He left Appa here, so we might as well use him. It'll cut our time in half if we travel with him." she pointed out.

Sokka agreed, "It most definitely would, and wherever Aang went, he is on foot, which means he can't travel as fast. I'd say it's definitely worth a shot."

Toph agreed, "Great…another reason for the blind Earthbender to hate you, all once again."

That helped lighten up the group a little bit as they smiled, and went looking for Appa's saddle. Usually, they depended on Aang to use his airbending to put it on him, and it was a lot heavier than they thought. After about a few minutes of figuring how to do it, they put it onto Appa, who didn't mind it in the least bit. They flew back to the ship, and told the Captain to send a hawk to Zuko, telling him that they no longer needed to use his Fire Nation ship. And to also say that they found Appa and Momo in the Eastern Air Temple, and that they were going to use him to help search for Aang. They thanked the Captain and his crew, and flew up into the eternal sky. But that was six months ago…

OooooOooooOoooo

Katara was still starring up at the full moon above them, as Appa continued to soar through the skies. She could feel her bending growing stronger, after what she had learned from Hama. The Waterbender hated that she gained this new technique called Blood Bending. It scared her so much when she tried it on the man she thought was responsible for killing her mother, and she hoped that she would never have to use it again. She remembered when Hama gained control of Aang and Sokka, and how she used them as 'puppets' to try and attack her. And then she used Sokka's sword to kill Aang, and without a second's hesitation, she stopped Sokka before his sword penetrated Aang.

She took control of Hama's body, and saved her best friend from being killed in front of her eyes again. Katara hated this ability that was coursing through her veins, because it made her seem like she was a monster. It had changed her. But luckily she had Aang around her to help keep who she was in tact. He was always the one reminding her that nothing could ever change who she really was to him, and that she was still the loving and sweet girl that he met in that block of ice. It seemed like so many years ago, when she saw those gray eyes for the first time. The Waterbender clenched her jaw as she thought of the long, lost Airbender, and wondered if he would ever return to her.

Katara was now fifteen, as of two months ago. The gang tried to do something special for her, but she just told them that they needed to continue their search for Aang. Nothing seemed important to her anymore, and nothing seemed to make her smile either without him around. Food had lost taste to her, and even Toph's sarcastic remarks couldn't snap her out of this depression. The group behind her was still asleep, but she soon felt footsteps coming toward her. It was Sokka.

He was silent as he sat on the rear of the saddle with Katara, and sighed at her. He hated seeing his younger sister in this state, and it hurt him, knowing that there was nothing he could do for her. He never felt so helpless in his entire life. Usually the boomerang guy had always depended on his younger sister to keep the love in the group, but her only obsession was to find Aang. Sokka hated the little Monk that broke his sister's heart, and he swore that if he ever returned, he would kill him, slowly and painfully. The night was cool and quiet up in the dark, starry sky.

"You okay?" he asked finally, knowing that she was going to lie to him. She was never good at it, because that was just not who she was.

Katara looked over at her brother, and saw the concern on his face. More than anything she wanted to scream at someone, and tell everyone she was fine, but she wasn't. "Of course I am. I just thought it was a nice night to stay up for a little bit."

Sokka half smiled at her, "Liar." he said, and then he saw Katara turn her head back to the full white moon, with no hint of smile from his sarcasm.

The dark skinned girl knew she was the worst liar in the world, but she didn't want to discuss what was going on with her. She felt the exact same way when she lost her mom, and when her dad had abandoned them both at such a young age, to go off and fight in the war. And she knew everyone was concerned about her, but they eventually learned to stop trying to make her happy, or talk it out with her.

"Katara," her older brother said sincerely, "we need to have a talk."

The Waterbender didn't look at him as she continued looking at the white sphere, knowing that this was going to be an advice talk of some kind.

Sokka continued, when he knew that she wasn't going to look at him. "We are all getting really worried about you, particularly me. And I know you want to find Aang, but we have been at it for six months, with no sign of him at all."

The blue eyed girl knew he was right. They had visited town after town, asking if they had seen a boy with blue tattoos, but every time, no one knew. Every once in a while, a rumor would come to their ears, about Aang helping people along the way, but when they got there, he wasn't there. "He would just disappear" they always said. The gang had been traveling everywhere in the Earth Nation, but it was impossible to find just one kid out there, who hid himself from them.

"I think it's time you stop this Katara." Sokka finally said, hoping it would cause her to look at him, and it did. He could tell that she wasn't sleeping a whole lot anymore, and even her eyes weren't as soft and loving as they used to be.

"What are you talking about?" she asked quietly, knowing the answer.

"You can't go on like this baby sister. I can't keep watching your hope getting shattered every time, you hear something about Aang, and then you don't find him. You're scaring the others and me too. You have become obsessed with this, and it's not making things any better for you!"

Now it was Katara's turn to get mad, "And what would you like me to do? Hmm? Give up on him? Stop searching for the man I have fallen in lo…" and then she stopped herself, and looked away.

Sokka was shocked at the realization that his own sister had fallen in love with his best friend or ex-best friend now. He knew that they truly cared for each other, but loved? Katara seemed too young to find love, but then again, she was way ahead of him on a lot of things when he was that age.

"You love him, huh?" he said stupidly, as he kicked himself in the butt for not seeing it. But maybe he had known all along, and didn't want to admit it to himself.

Katara gulped at what she just said out loud to her brother, "Yes…yes I do." she said, as a small tear ran down her right cheek, and dripping off of her chin. Sokka was tired of seeing his sister like this. Every night it was the same. She would cry herself to sleep, or she would wake up from a nightmare in tears and sweat. She said his name constantly in fear and tribulation; as she rolled around in her sleep, causing everyone wake up in a fighting stance. However, after some months, they had all become used to her nightmares and would sleep through when she would scream. Even Toph had somehow toned out her crazy pulse.

"I don't want to say this, but you need to let Aang go. He is not" he emphasized the word, "coming back any time soon it looks like. You need to stop this obsession."

Katara looked up at her worried through her watery eyes, clenching to her warriors clothes, and then shaking her head slowly, "I can't. We have to find him, he's our responsibility!"

Sokka remembered those exact words when Aang was captured by Zuko, but that situation was different. "Not anymore." he finally said, "He chose to leave us Katara, with no remorse."

"But I could have stopped him! I could have helped him! I…I mean we all could have came up with a solution! If I hadn't had shot water at him, he wouldn't have reacted the way he did! Or if I had confronted him about the way he had been acting after Ozai, but I didn't! I sat back, and did nothing!" she yelled. The Waterbender didn't care anymore if the group was still sleeping; they were most likely listening anyways, to see the way she was going to react.

When Sokka heard this, things clicked with what Zuko meant about Katara blaming herself about Aang leaving. She was indeed doing it, and it only made furious at Aang for leaving them without a word. If only that bald headed Monk could see that she was the one caring the burden, of his reaction and disappearance. But if it was anyone to blame, it was the way he reacted when he saw them kissing. He wasn't planning on hurting Aang, but he was going to rough him up a bit for not asking his permission to be with his sister. He thought that maybe the Monks had taught him about respecting older brothers, but what could he expect from a guy who hurt him as well, when he left.

"You can't blame yourself Katara." he finally said, to break the silence, "I attacked him, and it set him off."

"I still could have helped him!" she said shaking her head again, with tears flowing constantly down her face, "If I can help bring him out of the Avatar State, then I could have brought him out of whatever happened to him." The Waterbender put her right hand over her face, as she held back her scream of pain.

Without hesitation, Sokka grabbed his sister, and pulled her into a hug. She tried to get push away from him, but his grip tightened on her, and she finally gave up. Katara had been trying to hold back her tears, but when he held her the way an older brother should when someone is in pain, she broke. All of her emotion came flooding out of her, and stained onto her brothers blue shirt. After a few minutes, she made the tears stop, and pushed herself off of him, allowing her sit back in her original spot.

The Waterbender wiped her weakness away, and sat there for a second. "It wasn't Aang."

Sokka looked up at her strangely, "What are you talking about?" he asked rhetorically, "It was all Aang's fault!"

Katara knew her brother was right about that, but it wasn't what she was talking about. "I mean when Aang attacked us. Before I was struck, I saw the way he looked. There was this instant moment where I saw red in his eyes, but it disappeared when he threw the water back at me."

Her older brother shook his head, "It doesn't matter Katara. He attacked you, and then us. It was probably just the light anyways. You don't need to defend him anymore Katara, because he did that to you!" he said pointing at her head.

The chocolate haired girl reached up her hand up towards the top of her left skull, feeling the small scar that remained there. It was all that she had left from Aang, before he left. "I'm not! But I'm telling you Sokka-!" and before she could finish, her pony tailed brother interrupted her.

"I can't let you do this to yourself anymore. I promised dad that I would look after you and protect you, even if it means from yourself!" Sokka yelled.

Again, Katara fell silent. She hated that he was right at just about everything he said, but she didn't want to give up on him. She needed to find him; she needed to see those gray eyes again, that were like beautiful storm clouds circling inside of them. Her joy and happiness was found within Aang. He brought that child out of her, he taught her that she could be herself, and still have fun at the same time.

"We took a vote Katara…and we all think…it's time to go home." Sokka said finally, waiting for her reaction.

The heavyhearted Waterbender looked up at her brother, and saw the tears that stained his blue shirt. She knew that he didn't want to give up on finding Aang, but there hadn't been any types of rumors for the past two months. They all did what they could; even Zuko was constantly trying to find information, without causing a stir to his people. They had done everything they had, but did she? Suddenly, the dark skinned girl felt a small lemur leap onto her right shoulder, and began licking her. She gave Momo a small smile, which Sokka couldn't see, and started to scratch behind his little ears as he purred at her.

Sokka put a hand on Katara's free shoulder, "You know Aang doesn't want us to find him. Me, you, and the others can't go on like this. He's my friend too, and I want to find him just as badly, but…I can't just sit here and watch you do this to yourself. When he wants to come back, he will." And then I'll beat him up so bad, it'll wake the other Avatar's up. , he thought to himself.

Katara looked over at the small group that acting like they were sleeping, and could see that they all agreed with her brother. Maybe it was pointless to search for someone who didn't want to be seen. The Waterbender felt so lost, and it was tearing her apart from the inside out.

She looked back at her brother, and nodded…regretfully. And then the dark skinned girl looked out onto the horizon, trying to see if by some miracle something would happen, but it didn't. Sokka gave her a side smile, and said, "I'm sorry." and then he went back to sleep next to Suki.

Katara couldn't believe that she had just agreed to stop looking for the person that was most important to her, besides her family. She knew she was no longer herself, and that it only made things worse as they all continued to follow her in this never ending search. Her friends had indeed done more than she could have hoped for, but it still wasn't enough; however, she did agree with what Sokka said. If Aang wanted to be found, he would have left something, or anything for them to find, but he didn't. She didn't know if something had happened to him, or even if he still cared about her. If he Aang did care, he would have at said least said goodbye. How hard could it be to tell someone goodbye, especially if the other person wasn't that important to them?

Silently another tear was falling, and she wiped it away quickly. If they were going to stop looking for Aang, then she was going to have to let him go too. He was obviously able to do it with her, so how hard could it be? It was time for her to move on with her life, and live it, instead of wishing constantly. Katara laid her body down, and began to try and put her memories of Aang away, but there were too many to forget so easily. Momo crawled to where her stomach was, and leaned up against her, as it tried to sleep. It was so strange to her, that the little lemur was constantly by her side since they found both of them at the temple. It was like he and Appa were both trying to protect her or something.

OooooOooooOoooo

One year later…

The Airbender and the Guru had been traveling for many months now. He didn't know how long it had been, since he lost track due to his constant training, and he didn't know where they were at. Aang knew they were still in the Earth Nation, but it was places he had never seen before. Anytime they came somewhere with children playing around, Guru Pathik instructed him to go and play with them. It was actually pretty nice being able to just be a kid again, but he still didn't understand the point to all of this.

Every once in a while, they would stop and observe something that nature did. Aang remembered on of these moments specifically, during his first month of training.

They had come over to a pile of rocks, possibly from sliding down the mountains. There were tons, and tons of rocks piled high. But a single flower grew in it still.

"Tell me Aang," the bent down Guru motioned him over, "what do you see?"

The Avatar looked over and saw it, "Lots of maroon rocks, and a black, red striped lily?" he asked questionably.

"Very good. Now tell me the significance of the lily then?" he said pointing to it.

Aang scratched his bald head, "It's…alive?"

Dark colored man smiled, "Exactly. Underneath all of those rocks, it was still able to grow. It struggled its way to the highest peek, in order to get some sun."

The Monk wondered how the blind man could see all of this, "So…what does that have to do with anything?"

Guru Pathik put a hand on his shoulder, and stood up, "Even in the darkest of places, where there seems to be no light, or water even for the lily, it can still find its way out. This is no ordinary lily, but a flower who strained its way out. If you were to lift all of these rocks, you could see the vines that are everywhere in these rocks."

Aang was getting ready to do just that, but the Pathik stopped him. "I want you to connect to it young Avatar, without moving anything. Go ahead, touch It." he insisted.

The tattooed boy looked at him weirdly, but did so anyways. Aang bent down, and touched the lily lightly, and as soon as he touched it, his energy was connected to it. He felt the length of the stem that went through this crazy maze in order reach the sun. It reminded him so much of what he once did in the swamp, and how he had found Appa just in time. Aang smiled at the memory, but brushed it away quickly.

The bald Monk opened his eyes when he went to the bottom of the root, and even the roots itself were spread farther than the rocks did, "This…lily went through so much. It made many mistakes, but it kept going. And then, it finally found a hole."

The Guru smiled, "Very good, Aang. It's amazing to think that a single seed can still grow over tons of rocks. You have just witnessed the story of this flower personally, and what have you learned from it?"

Aang paused, and looked at the lily again. The sun was blistering hot, but he continued to stay focus on the matter at hand. "It represents life." he said looking up at the blind man and continued, "No matter how impossible the struggle is…you can always find a way out. Even after going in the wrong direction, and making mistakes, it was able to find its way to the sun. To the thing that shows it love?"

Guru Pathik patted him on the shoulder, "Nature finds its own way of expression, in the simplest form, however complex."

"Just like when I looked at it from the beginning. It seemed so simple, but after touching the lily, I saw how complex it really was." Aang said, understanding more and more.

The white bearded man nodded, "You have taken the first step into realizing that in order for you to move through life, Life must move through you."

The Airbender smiled again, "It's what keeps us connected."

"Indeed. You are learning very quickly young Avatar, and it pleases me that I will have the privilege in showing you many more things." said Guru Pathik.

And the Guru did keep to his word, but that black, red striped lily had stuck with him through these months. They were both lying on the grass, looking up at the cloudy sky, with a half moon, or at least he was. Aang still only managed to get very few hours of sleep every night, due to his nightmares. His mind and dreams were constantly on Katara and the gang, and it ached every time he thought about her. Even after, however long, he still remembered every part of her face. How long her hair and eyelashes were, every line on her face, the ocean blue in her eyes, or when she would laugh, it was like Angels singing to him. He loved how soft and velvety her skin was, and how she could make the ugliest thing look so beautiful when she stood next to it.

Aang put his both hands under his head as he laid down, and continued feeling the cool breeze on his hot body. His temperature would change at often times, but he still remained hot constantly. And he wondered if that would ever change? The Monk looked over and saw that the Guru was back into a meditative state. He could be there for days, or perhaps even weeks if he wanted to, and not move an inch.

"You should try and get some sleep, young Airbender." the Guru said quietly, as if not to make the sun wake.

Aang wasn't surprised that he knew he wasn't sleeping, but he could never tell with that blind fold on all the time. "I can't sleep long. It doesn't help that I dream of…" and then he stopped in mid sentence, as he was about to say Katara's name out loud.

But the bearded man knew, "You dream of her? Katara?"

The Monk looked up at the skies, and would rather have had both of his ribs broken right then and there, than to feel this torture inside of him when he heard her name out loud. Aang had not mentioned her to Guru Pathik since he was trying to control the Avatar State. "How did you…" he asked, and was interrupted.

"Because you say her name every time you sleep. I have never once heard of a man say so many time how much he loves a woman." Guru Pathik said, without moving again.

The Monk blushed it what the Guru must hear every night, during his few hours of sleep. He never knew that he talked during his sleep, and that worried him just a little.

"Did you ever tell her that?"

"Tell her what?" Aang asked looking over at the skinny man.

"That you love her?" he asked as he got out of his meditative state turned towards Aang.

The tattooed boy rubbed his hands through over his face and through his shaggy hair again. He was happy to finally let it grow back after many months without it, and it tended to help hide his arrow on his head. He always wore a conical hat, which was made of straw, to make the situation better. But now that his hair was back, he just wore a green Earth Nation headband.

Aang stretched his hands over his head on the soft grass, with his palms facing up, and sighed, "No…I couldn't. Not after what happened." His recollection of that day came rushing back to him, like a wave crashing against rocks.

"Did you not think to tell her before then?"

The Monk shook his head, "No…so much happened, and I just couldn't."

Guru Pathik shook his head in sadness, "We all make so many excuses when we want to tell someone that we love them, and then it is too late. The one who is afraid to risk all that he has will never gain more than he has already taken." And with that last thought, the Guru laid down, and went to sleep with his back facing the young boy.

Aang didn't know what to say to that, because he knew it was true. He had that one, special, day with Katara, and he still couldn't tell her. He kept doubting himself, and her, when all of the signs were there. The Monk wasn't willing to take the risk, and for that, he gained nothing more than a broken heart. And he was sure that he hurt Katara, more than he could fathom. But after learning about his dreams, and then hurting the Waterbender, he just saw no point in telling her. Aang wondered that even after what he did to her, and their friends, would she still have loved him?

The young Airbender pushed himself up with his elbows, and stood up to the cool breeze that was still blowing gently. He walked down to a stream that was less than a mile away, and splashed water on his face. The cool spring water dripped onto his neck, and down to his back until it reached his swim trunks. Every time Aang looked up into the stream, he was always expecting to see Ozai, but instead he only saw himself starring back.

It was the first time, in a long while, that Aang actually examined himself. He looked older and worn from their travels around the Earth Nation. The Monk was a little bit tanner, which made his blue tattoos, and his gray eyes stand out more. Even the purple under his eyes stood out too. His jaw line was sharper, and whatever baby fat he had, it was now gone too. His muscles had also toned up a lot, which made his veins pop out slightly since he continued to train himself harder everyday. He would carry rocks around, just like when Toph was first teaching him to be rock himself, and he would also practice his water abilities, but it didn't last long for a certain woman would pop into his head. He tried to fly around more and more when it was necessary, and he stopped using fire all together.

Aang had also grown a lot more as well. He was maybe an inch shorter than the Guru, which made him smile, knowing that he was still growing. The young Monks training was difficult with the Guru, and at times, he would nearly killed him as they both fought against Ozai. Guru Pathik had taught him not let the pain and anger flow into his heart, but to use his stomach to control it.

6 months ago…

"Now that you have learned that your heart is the area to protect, you must use your chi to bring it back to your stomach. And the final thing that you must do, is think of an object that can help you stay in control as well." the Guru announced

"Can it be a person?" Aang asked, and automatically thought of Katara.

But the Guru shook his head, "No. Because if you are ever angry at that person, than they cannot help you. And it may even be possible for him to manipulate your past memories of that person, to his own will. No, it must be an object."

"So something to distract me?" the Monk asked, trying to understand.

"No. Distractions can only last for a few moments. It must be something that you constantly think of, and would never grow tired of looking at its flawlessness."

Aang thought long and hard about this, and thought about the sword that he made for Sokka. During their journeys on the ocean shores, he started collecting oysters with pearls in them, and would take them out of them. He had learned from a kid he was playing with, that it was possible for Earthbenders to make shapes out of the white spheres. But the little boy only had one pearl, and it wasn't enough for him to make something.

Aang had once seen Zuko with a unique dagger, that his Uncle gave him, and he said it was one of a kind when Iroh broke through the first walls of Ba Sing Se, and the defeated General gave it to him. When Sokka lost his 'space sword', he had come to admire the small dagger. So the Airbender thought that he could use another special sword to wield once again. When he had the sword bent to where he wanted it, he took it to a master swordsman, and he put the handle on it. Then Aang asked if he could carve a blue inscription that said, "A great swordsman is defined by his Creativity, Versatility, and Intelligence." At least that is what Master Piandoa said to Sokka, when he trained with him.

But the sword wasn't important to him like Katara's necklace was. Then he asked, "What about this?" and pulled it out as he held it in the air. The blue ribbon flowed with the wind, as it carried the circle of elements in it. He had finally decided to put a simple inscription on it, saying, "Love is brightest, in the dark."

Aang also made a few more changes to the dark blue ribbon, by sowing tiny white air elements, and light blue water symbols around it. He would always have a lot of time on his hands, and it helped to keep him distracted sometimes.

The Guru looked at it, and said, "Hmm…this is indeed something worth trying. Let us test it then."

Aang closed his eyes, and sat in a meditative position. He breathed in and out, with time slowing down more and more as he searched for Ozai. They had found out that wherever he was hurting most, then that it where he would most likely be. At times it was from Azula's lightning strike, some old burn marks, and even in his ribs. The Monk didn't know how long it was, until he found a small energy in those old, messed up rib of hiss. And when he found him, Ozai's spirit attacked him, and Aang fought back with his strength.

His body began to sweat, as he tried to control his breathing. Aang couldn't see what he was fighting against, but it was growing stronger, and stronger in him. He could feel fire flowing threw his blood, as he continued to fight on the inside. The Monk was losing to this spirit, as it continued to flow up higher into his heart. Aang had learned that the heart is what connects them to life, and when it is take away, you would be destroyed...

The Guru watched as Aang's tattoos began to light up, while his breathing increased faster, and his stomach was flexing the whole time. Guru Pathik knew he was losing, but he tried to remind him as he spoke out, "Now, I want you to use the necklace. Think of every detail, every single piece of string attached lined up in it, and how long it took you to finish it."

The Monk could barely hear what the Guru told him, as he fought chaotically inside of his body, but did as he said. He thought about the blue lace that captured the dark blue ocean, and then he thought of the white airbending and light blue waterbending symbols, that reminded him of his home, and the Northern Water Tribe. He could feel the tension in his body dying little by little as he thought of this, and continued. His mind went to the sphere element that he found on the beach from lightning and how it was clearer than water itself. He thought about the two elements that flowed inside of it, that could be made into a cloud.

Aang had followed the Guru's instructions on not thinking Katara, which he found to be difficult when it was her necklace, but he managed to. He could feel his own body cooling down finally, and the spirit of Ozai, continued to fade, until he felt him disappear somewhere else. Aang opened his eyes, and felt a sweat drip down his nose, and onto his Fire Nation pants. His entire body was drenched with sweat, and he felt soar, like he had just fought a huge army.

The Guru bowed to Aang in his seated position, and said, "Good, good Aang. You are making progress more and more. But as you grow stronger, so does Ozai, his spirit will come back ten times more. Onion and banana juice?."

Aang got out of his meditative position, and fell back on the ground, still breathing a little fast. Then he heard a sound of liquid being poured into a wooden bowl, and automatically, he held out his hand. When he felt the wood surface on his fingers, he grasped it, and sat up. The Monk drank the onion and banana juice without complaining anymore, as his taste buds had become atoned to it. And in a way, it helped him calm down a little bit faster.

Since then, the Guru and Aang would both continue to fight Ozai, and everyday, it was harder. But he needed to prepare himself for whatever was to come. It helped have Guru Pathik there to guide him, and be his only friend now. And that seemed to help make Aang smile, knowing that he was making progress.

The Airbender held out Katara's necklace in his hand, and examined it He was very proud of the effort and time he put into it, but he never knew if she have liked it. Aang closed his right hand, and squeezed it tightly. He had tried not to think of the beautiful Waterbender, but it was nearly impossible when everything around him reminded him of her. He looked back up at the half moon again, and felt his chest tighten. He wished he could see her face one last time, without having that fearful night of her bleeding down her face, while lying unconscious on the bed.

He clenched his jaw and felt a tear run down cheek, which he quickly wiped away, as if it was embarrassing to him. The Airbender didn't know why he kept this object, when he wouldn't see her for a long time. But he put it back into his left pocket again anyways, and splashed his face one more time. And then he got up, and looked back at his reflection until the water calmed, and then went back to the Guru. He sat on the soft grass, and knew he wasn't going to sleep at all tonight.

OooooOooooOoooo

That next week their pace had been slowing down a lot more as they continued to travel the Earth Nation. It wasn't like Guru Pathik to do that, but none the less they pushed on. The bearded man still let Aang continue to play with the kid's everyday. It had almost become a routine, one in which he did enjoy. He still didn't ask why he made him do this, but he would hope to learn soon, as he did with everything else. Aang also continued to study the scrolls of Avatar Predictions, and was amazed at how some of them were accurate, and even off base, but none the less they were close.

When Aang finally finished with his game with the sun setting down, he went back to the outside of the town, and found the dark tan man lying down. He had laid out some food for the Monk that he must have gotten while he was playing. There was a bowl of noodles, bread, rock candy, some fruit, and five flavored soup, with a little kick in it. The Airbender ate it with much contentment, which filled his appetite half way. When he was done, he cleaned the dishes in the stream close by, put them back in his worn out pack, and sat down next to the Guru.

It was another long and hot day, but it was nothing compared to the Fire Nation. He looked at the bearded man, and could see that he looked a little bit paler than normal. Almost as if he was sick. Guru Pathik was sleeping more, and more everyday they traveled, and it was really starting to worry Aang. The Monk looked back out, and saw the wind picking up some. The grass had become like waves, as it bent to its will.

"Go ahead and ask what you want to know, young Avatar." said Guru Pathik, as he continued to lie on his side, with his right arm as a pillow.

Aang raised an eyebrow, but then asked, "Why is it that I must find the inner child within me?"

"Because, a child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, it's full of wonder, love and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us, who use that clear-eyed vision, it takes away the true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring. It becomes dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood." he quoted, as if he too had gone through the same thing.

The Airbender sat there, and picked up a piece of grass, and began to play with it in his hand. This was indeed some heavy wisdom for him to process, but he still didn't get how finding his inner child will help him defeat Ozai's spirit.

"Tell me Aang, when was the last time, before I came to help, that you remained a child? And I'm not meaning when you were a child physically, but when you had the spirit of one?" the bearded man said, clarifying what he meant.

Aang paused, and thought hard about this, as he tried to remember his past. The first time he came out of that block of ice, he went penguin sledding with Katara, which made him smile again. Many more memories came flooding back to him, like when he joined the Fire Nation School, and threw them a 'secret dance party'. But they all stopped when he defeated The Phoenix King. He had one more memory, and it was when Katara and he went to the Northern Temple, and they both flew for hours upon hours. And that was it.

The young Monk opened up his fingers loosely, as he let the wind catch the grass, and it started to dance with the air. "I suppose…" Aang began, "it was after my defeat with Ozai. It changed me so much, and I felt like I lost myself." he admitted with great agony.

Guru Pathik sat up slowly, and sat in Indian style, "Exactly. People do not understand how strong a child's heart and spirit can be. We tend to change, and put away childish things, in order to grow, but we lose sight of the world around us. And we are then made to look at the world through eyes of a grown person."

"But I am the Avatar, is it not so that I must do this?" the gray eyed boy asked.

"Just because you are the Avatar, it doesn't change the fact that you are still a person. You have felt pain, loss, love, hope, and seen the effects of life. I wanted you to find that love in you that can make you different to your past lives. Because no matter the amount of darkness, it cannot hide the spark of a child's heart." the Guru finished with a smile towards him.

Aang had never thought of it like that, or how it was so important for him to see himself as a kid again. A kid who had fun. He remembered what he said once to Sokka, when he first met him, and Sokka had banished him.

Katara was defending the Airbender, "Aang is not our enemy here. Don't you see? Aang has brought us something we haven't had in a long time, fun."

"Fun?" Sokka said with sarcasm, "We can't fight Fire Benders with fun!"

Aang only responded with a smile, "You should try it sometime."

The Monk laughed quietly at this, remembering those good old days, when his only concern was to learn the four elements, and impress Katara somehow. Aang was truly having fun when he was with those kids, learning new moves, new games, and other strategies. It helped clear his mind of the past and future, and made him concentrate on the matter at hand, if he wanted to win against those Earthbenders.

"You have that child's spirit Aang, and it has been growing in you without even realizing it. And it has indeed helped you grow too." the Guru said, as he broke the young Monks trance. "Someday Aang, I will not be here. And you must remember all that I have taught you, if you are ever able to defeat Ozai."

This caught the Airbender off guard, "Why would you say something like that Pathik? I still have so much to learn. And what if Ozai does take me over, and I cannot gain control back? How do you rid a spirit in you?"

Guru Pathik went back to lying on the green grass, and said, "Just remember what I have taught you. The rest you can figure out on your own." And with that said, he went back to sleep, just as the sun disappeared into the sky line. Aang felt a little tired too, and decided to follow the Guru's actions, and fell right to sleep. He hated the thought of the Guru not being there to help him, but for now, he didn't worry. Knowing that he was going to wake up next to him, and continue their training for many more years to come.

As always, within a few hours, Aang woke up like he always did, and sat up. There was absolutely no wind, for the first time, and there was something eerie about the late night. The Monk then he looked over at the Guru resting place and found clothes without a body, and a letter underneath it. Aang quickly went over, and read the letter, wondering if the Guru had decided to go all commando with the world finally.

Aang,

I'm so sorry, but my time has at long last come. I have lived in this world for more than 150 years, and I have done all I can for you within a year and a half. My purpose in this life is over, but a new one begins. The journey never ends young Avatar, no matter if there is death or life; we all have a part to play. And I have played mine in this, and I will continue on in another.

Aang, the last thing I wanted to leave you with, is that you must never shut yourself off from love. Love is what connects us to every living thing. Just as when you thought that you lost the love of your people, you were able to find it in a new form in Katara. You must tell her how you feel, because love is far more powerful than any bending or spirit out there. And Ozai will use it against you, if you keep holding it back.

You must also remember Aang, that you are never alone. Your friends need you, and you will need them in the end. Continue your training, and keep that child's heart a flame. Ba Sing Se is very near by, so use the rest of my money, and buy yourself some more clothes. There is still enough of my personal mix, to hide your tattoo if you ever feel the need to use it again. Goodbye my young friend, and don't forget to drink some onion and banana juice every so often.

Guru Pathik

When Aang finished reading the letter, tears were streaming down his face, and onto the paper that he now held. He couldn't believe that he was actually gone…his best friend, who had taught him so much in a year and a half, had vanished.

Aang's mind ran back to those three words, year and a half. Had it really been long since he ran away? He couldn't believe that he was already fourteen, which Katara was now sixteen. She was of marrying age as of last year…

The Monk crumbled up the letter, and put it against his head, as he continued crying. He didn't know what he was supposed to do next. The Guru had always guided him, and he had hidden himself from the world for so long, that he didn't know what was going on out there. Yes, he had helped some people along the way, but not to the point of going into the Avatar State. The gray eyed boy looked over at Pathik's clothing that lay on the ground, in a scary ghost like way, and then he looked up into the starless night, that was covered by many clouds.

Aang stood up, feeling wobbly all of the sudden, and then his body started to heat up again. He could feel Ozai finding the root of his emotions, as it tried to get it's claws into him, but Aang was able to use the stomach technique, which made Ozai disappear again. Sometimes it was easy to get rid of the evil spirit inside of him, while other times, required more concentration. Lucky for him, this was nothing.

He let the tears continue to flow, and then stood up, and grabbed his pack. It had many small holes in it, and it was worn out from the journeys they took, but it was still doable. He was happy that the Guru had left him some more money, because his clothes no long fit him, and he had to cut them off in order to wear them. He didn't own shoes anymore either, but kind of like the idea using his Earthbending abilities as Toph taught him. And it was the perfect disguise for the Avatar to hide in plain sight.

He grabbed the mixture, that the Guru had made for him to hide his tattoos, and put the rest of the money in their as well. He picked up his staff, slung on the finished pearl sword, and was about to unfold his glider, but he turned back to the area where Pathik's body was still imprinted on the grass.

He bowed respectfully to it, and said, "Thank you my friend. I will try to honor you by remembering all that you have taught me." Then Aang unfolded the letter that he had crumbled into his hands, and unfolded it again. He read it one more time, making sure that Ba Sing Se was where he needed to go, folded it up nicely, and placed it in his pocket, along with the betrothal necklace. Aang spread the wings of his improved, blue glider that Tao and his father had made for him, and flew towards the great city.

It took Aang about a half a day to travel to Ba Sing Se, and seeing the great walls again. He landed about a mile away, so as not to draw attention to himself. He put his black cloak, and warrior gloves back on, and placed his pointy conical straw hat onto his head. The walls were still just as high as he remembered, and couldn't believe that it seemed like ages ago since he and his friends came here looking for Appa. The Airbender missed his giant friend, wishing that all was well with him, and that he was protecting Katara.

The Monk caught a ride on the Earthbending train, and remained inconspicuous in the crowd. When the train stopped, Aang got off, and walked for miles until he found Iroh's shop. But when he got there, Iroh was nowhere to be seen. He asked the employees, but none of them knew exactly where he went, until he asked the Assistant Manager, who was a bit younger than he was. The young boy had brown spiky hair that was kind of pulled back, with green eyes, and a smile that would make anyone smile back.

Aang looked down at the kid who was at the height of his ribs and asked, "Do you know where I can find Iroh?"

The boy nodded, "Yes, but he told me not to tell anyone where he went."

The Monk looked at him weirdly, wondering why Iroh had hired this twelve year old as an Assistant Manager, but Iroh always knew what he was doing. "Please, it is of great importance that I find him." Aang said bending down to his face.

He shook his head, "I-I can't. I made a pinky promise with him not to tell…unless you know him personally?"

Aang smiled, "I do actually. We are old friends."

"Good," the young boy said, "then you won't mind answering a few questions for me then?"

The Airbender nodded, "Not at all." And with that said, he took him to the back of the tea shop, and asked a series question that Iroh wrote down for him. Some were trick questions, but he was able to get it right. When every question had been answered, the boy nodded at him.

"You have answered everything right Avatar Aang." he said with a huge smile, and came running up to Aang and hugged him tightly. His excitement had finally reached its peak as he continued to jump up and down.

Aang didn't know how to respond to this, but he bent down and grabbed the boys shoulder, trying to calm him. "Look, umm…?" he tried to hint at the young mans name.

"Lee!" he said with more enthusiasm.

Aang smiled, "Okay, Lee." And the boy began to jump up and down again when the gray eyed Avatar said his name. But Aang shushed him, and tried to calm him down once again. "Why do you think I'm the Avatar?"

"Iroh told me only a few people would know these answer, but you answered things that only the Avatar would know." Lee said with happiness in his eyes.

Aang laughed a little, and thought to himself "Good old Iroh." And then said, "Fine Lee, I am the Avatar, but I need to know where Iroh is."

"He went back to his home, for some kind of meeting that's going to happen in a month and a half? He never told me where his home was, but he left two days ago." Lee finally said.

Aang sighed heavily, "Thanks Lee." The Monk got up, and was about to walk away, but then asked, "Would you like to do me a small favor?"

Lee's face lit up like a flame, "Absolutely!"

The Avatar smiled, and got a piece of paper, from the desk to his right, and wrote down all of the supplies that he needed, and handed it back to Lee. "Okay, I need you to get these things for me as fast as you can, and meet me back at the entrance of the train, near the wall."

Lee smiled and nodded, as Aang handed him some money. "It's my break time anyways." and the kid ran out the back door.

Aang waited patiently for a couple of hours, and saw the boy running back towards him as fast as he could. He handed him the bag, and he looked in it to make sure all was there. There was a bunch of food, and a new rock bowl that he needed. He also had another Earth Kingdom outfit, a black cloth that would cover his neck and the bottom half of his face, and the ingredients for his cover up for the tattoos. Aang smiled, and bowed to the small boy, reached into the pouch, and gave him three gold pieces.

The Airbender got up, and was about to leave, but a hand grabbed his sleeve and made him stop. Lee then gave him a gloomy look, "Are you leaving us again?"

Aang sighed at the young boy, who seemed to still believe in him after his disappearance. The Monk bent down to him on one knee and put his right hand on his shoulder, "No. I just needed…some time to figure something's out. But I promise Lee that I will not leave you or anyone else ever again." and he meant it.

Lee smile, and held out his balled up fist, with his pinky held up high, "You pinky promise?"

The Airbender laughed, and took his pinky, "Promise."

The green eyed boy showed his teeth at him, and then his eyes got wide when he saw the hilt of Aang's sword handle. "May I see your sword?"

Aang smiled, and pulled it out of its sheath with his right hand, feeling the new gray leather around the silver hilt, and handed it to the boy. The light glistened off of the white pearl sword, as Lee began to play with it for a few minutes, twisting and turned with the sword. Aang was a little impressed at the way he could handle a sword, and then he handed it back to him. He put it back into the black sheath, and got up, using his left hand on the glider to help him stand.

"Is this the same type of sword that Zuko has?" Lee asked curiously.

The gray eyed Avatar looked down at him when he put his sword back into the sheath, "How do you know him?"

"He gave me a dagger that looked exactly like, and I gave it back to him."

"Why?" Aang asked, as he continued to wait for the next train.

"Because he was Fire Nation, and I hate them…but Iroh has been teaching me that it's not right to judge people by their nation, because he says there are good fire people too."

The tattooed boy looked back down at the brown haired boy, and said, "Iroh is right you know. I too struggled with the Fire Nation when I found out that they killed my people, but they are just as much people as you and I are." Then Aang decided to ask, "Do you hate me for knowing how to use fire?"

"What? No!" he said instantly, "Your the Avatar, and your suppose to learn it!" Lee yelled.

Aang calmed him down, and looked around to make sure no one heard him what he just said. When all looked clear to him, he said "Then you shouldn't hate them either. Fire Lord Zuko and I are personal friends, and he taught me how to use fire."

Lee's eyes got huge, "He taught you fire?"

By about this time, the train had pulled up, waiting for the passengers to exit the city. "He sure did. And for a Firebender, he's not that bad once you get to know him. He was my teacher, and my friend. So, please listen to Iroh, and keep an open mind with people." Especially since he too was Fire Nation, he thought to himself.

Lee nodded, as he took in the words from the Avatar. The young boy hugged him one last time, and waved goodbye to Aang, as the train disappeared through the walls.

OooooOooooOoooo

It took Aang almost a month and half to finally get to the Fire Nation, with a few days spare before this meeting. He had flown most of the way, landing on ships here and there, and even running some of the ways. It was night time, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to see someone. He knew Iroh would be there, but it was Zuko he needed to talk to now. He was able to sneak past all of the guards, and climb up the small wall that protected the Fire Lord's palace.

And then, as if nothing had happened, he knocked on the door, and in a few minutes a servant came, and opened the door. He bowed, "I'm sorry, but Fire Lord Zuko is sleeping right now. If it has something to do with the war meeting, you may ask it when we begin in two day." And with that said, he shut the door, and left Aang out there in the summer air.

"War meeting?" he thought to himself. Had he truly been gone long enough for another war to start? Aang banged on the door again, and continued until the old man came back.

The man swung the door open, "If you do not leave these premises, I will call the guards on you! Now please leave!" He started to shut the door again, but Aang stopped it.

"Tell Fire Lord Zuko, that an old friend has come to see him. I'll wait for him hear." Aang said mysteriously, pointing to the left side with his finger.

"I told you, the Fire Lord wishes not to be disturbed!" yelled the servant.

The Monk looked up underneath his hood and said, "Tell him, Sifu Hotman needs to talk to him." And then Aang walked to the left, and took off his pack, and leaned his glider on the railing. He then jumped onto the ledge, and crouched, waiting for the server to do it.

The man didn't want to disturb the Fire Lord, but at the same time, he new this 'Hotman' fellow, wouldn't leave until he spoke to him. So he shut the door, and walked to his Majesties room. He knocked twice, and slid the door open.

"Fire Lord Zuko?" he asked nervously.

Zuko's eyes opened, and stretched his legs out. "Do you know what time it is?" he said with a small yawn.

"It is still late, but a man has come to see you my Lord and he won't leave until you do."

"Is it of most importance?" he asked a little irritated.

"He says it is, and he said that he will be waiting for you outside of the house. I waited to see if he was joking, but he has been waiting on the ledge for ten minutes now." the server said.

Zuko rubbed his face, and talked through his hands "Who is it?"

"He said his name is Sifu Hotmam?"

And automatically Zuko yelled, "Don't call me that!"

The Fire Lord could tell that he had scared his server, and apologized to him. But why would he react to that? Only one other person had called him that, and it was…and then Zuko's eyes got big. He put his fire pants on, and a silky red robe, with gold stitching on the side to cover his upper body.

"Wha-What is it Zuko?" a woman asked with an agitated voice.

The scarred up man bent down, and kissed his wife on the cheek, "It's nothing Mai, just some business that I have forgotten to take care of."

"In the middle of the night?" she said grabbing his left arm that was over her.

Zuko smiled, "Go back to sleep."

She yawned, and said, "I'll find out eventually." And then she rolled over, and fell back to sleep.

Zuko quickly went to the door, and slid it faintly. He thanked his servant for the message, and saw him wipe his sweat of fear away. The server bowed, and left Zuko to do his business.

The Fire Lord ran to the front door, and opened it. To the left, he saw a shadow, in a dark cloak, leaning up against the railing now. He was about his height, maybe an inch taller, with long shaggy hair, worn out Earth clothes, dirty feet, with an expensive sword over his right shoulder, and a staff in his left hand. To Zuko, he looked more like a man who had been on a long and dreadful journey. The dark figure in the cloak pulled his hood off, and looked at Zuko through those gray eyes of his.

At first, Zuko didn't recognize the man, but he continued to study his features more closely. Those gray eyes stood out more with the dark purple color underneath his eyes, which was most likely from a lack of sleep. And then a small breeze moves the man's hair, revealing sky blue tattoos that he and his friend had been searching for.

Aang could tell that his friend was either in shock, or had become a mute in the past year and a half, which he doubted. The Avatar bowed respectfully to his friend, "It's good to see you again Sifu Hotman."

Zuko could hardly recognize the voice of the young boy he had once trained. It was a little deeper, but it still sounded like him in a mysterious way. "Aang?" he finally managed to say, and then the man in front of him only smiled and held out his left hand.

The Monk could see that his friend was still a little confused, and possibly thought it was his spirit that he was seeing. But after a few seconds of holding his hand out, Zuko embraced his arm and shook it. And then his friend did something he didn't expect, he pulled him into a one handed hug, while Zuko's right still gripped Aang's arm.

Aang laughed, "I guess some things have changed a little." Hinting on the hug, but he was just as happy as he was to see Zuko again.

"You have no idea." Zuko emphasized. The Airbender could tell there was a lot that he had to catch up on, and probably things about this war meeting too. The Fire Lord patted him hard on the shoulder, and led him into his palace.

Okay, so I know I sped things up a lot in this chapter, but I'm kind of one of those people who doesn't like it when Aang stays away for periods of chapters. I know its sad to say that the Guru is gone, but it doesn't mean he can't help him in the Spiritt World, so I might bring him back sometime. I also know the sword is random, but I thought it would be cool to see Aang still thinking of his friends, and how much Sokka's Space Sword meant to him. Again, I hope you like this chapter, especially now that he is back, and a war is possibly brewing again?

Please comment/review and tell me what you think. I can't please everyone, but I did try my best. Peace and Love Avatar Lovers!